Climate change literacy in Africa: the main role of experiences

Figures & data

Table 1. Questions used to build the dependent variables.

Question	Possible answers
Q74: People have different ideas about what causes climate change. What about you, which of the following do you think is the main cause of climate change, or haven’t you heard enough to say?	Human Activity, like burning fuel and other activities that pollute the atmosphere Natural processes Both human activity and natural processes None of these Don’t know/Haven’t heard enough
Q75: Do you think climate change is making life in [country] better or worse, or haven’t you heard enough to say?	Much better Somewhat better Neither/no change/about the same Somewhat worse Much worse Don’t know/Haven’t heard enough
Q76: Do you think that climate change needs to be stopped? [If yes] How much do you think that ordinary Ghanaians can do to stop climate change?	No, climate change doesn’t need to be stopped Yes Ordinary Ghanaians can do nothing at all Ordinary Ghanaians can do a little bit Ordinary Ghanaians can do a lot Don’t know

Source: Afrobarometer, round 7, 2016–218.

Table 2. Perceptions of climate change.

	Model 1: human causation in climate change		Model 2a: better situation in the future (compared to the same)		Model 2b: worse situation in the future (compared to the same)		Model 3a: yes, we must fight, but ordinary people cannot do much (compared to no need to fight)		Model 3b: everybody must fight (compared to no need to fight)
	Odds ratio	S.E.	Odds ratio	S.E.	Odds ratio	S.E.	Odds ratio	S.E.	Odds ratio	SE
Experience and information
worseagriconditions	1.17**	0.05	1.53***	0.09	4.18***	0.07	1.46***	0.07	1.24***	0.06
betteragriconditions	0.79***	0.06	3.75***	0.09	1.91***	0.08	0,.81**	0.08	0.77***	0.07
Q72a. Severity of droughts	0.91***	0.01	0.99	0.03	0.80***	0.03	1	0.02	0.96*	0.02
Q72b. Severity of flooding	0.97*	0.01	1.06*	0.03	1.06*	0.02	1.02	0.02	1.02	0.02
mediaexp	1.17***	0.02	0.87***	0.04	0.89***	0.03	1.01	0.03	1.08**	0.03
Q75 mediate. Climate change: affecting country							1.42***	0.02	1.60***	0.02
causecc							1.57***	0.06	4.45***	0.05
Norms and values
membrelgroup	0.92	0.04	1.14	0.08	0.97	0.07	0.86*	0.06	0.96	0.05
religiouslaw	0.79***	0.04	1.15	0.08	1	0.07	0.91	0.06	0.79***	0.05
christian	1.05	0.06	1.21	0.11	1.23*	0.1	0.9	0.09	0.98	0.08
muslim	0.93	0.07	1.08	0.13	1.13	0.12	1.11	0.1	1.28**	0.09
membcomgroup	0.99	0.05	1.38***	0.09	1.28**	0.09	0.86*	0.07	0.89*	0.06
participationcommunity	1.10***	0.02	0.97	0.03	1.07*	0.03	1.07**	0.03	1.06**	0.02
ethnicidentity	0.94	0.04	0.94	0.07	1.01	0.06	0.91	0.06	0.95	0.05
trusttradi	1.04	0.02	0.91*	0.04	0.97	0.04	1.15***	0.03	1.14***	0.03
institutionaltrust	0.86***	0.02	1.19***	0.04	1.02	0.04	0.86***	0.03	0.95	0.03
Q88a. Close to political party	0.84***	0.04	1.27***	0.08	1.08	0.07	1.12*	0.06	1.06	0.05
discusspol	1.09*	0.04	1.11	0.08	1.15*	0.07	1.12	0.06	1.13*	0.05
participationpolitics	0.94*	0.03	1.21***	0.06	0.91	0.05	0.93	0.05	0.98	0.04
Sociodemographics
EA (ref. WA)	2.98***	0.09	1.29	0.27	4.56***	0.25	1.32*	0.13	1.57***	0.12
CA	1.44***	0.07	0.74**	0.12	0.63***	0.1	0.68***	0.1	0.83*	0.08
NA	2.32***	0.14	0.71	0.18	0.36***	0.16	5.50***	0.2	2.03***	0.2
SA	1.11*	0.05	0.76**	0.09	0.71***	0.08	0.74***	0.07	0.86*	0.06
rural	0.94	0.04	0.99	0.08	0.93	0.07	1.28***	0.06	1.08	0.05
Q67. Lived outside country	0.93	0.04	1.12	0.08	1.06	0.07	0.96	0.06	0.96	0.05
Q1. Age	1	0	0.99***	0	1	0	1	0	1	0
male	1.21***	0.04	0.87	0.08	1.06	0.07	1.01	0.06	0.99	0.05
Q4b. Your present living conditions	0.96*	0.02	0.98	0.03	0.89***	0.03	0.96*	0.02	0.94**	0.02
student	1.40***	0.07	1.17	0.11	1.12	0.1	1.05	0.1	1.01	0.08
agriculture	1.15**	0.05	1.19	0.11	1.21	0.1	1.09	0.07	1.24**	0.07
miduplevel	1.30***	0.08	1.14	0.13	1.38**	0.11	1.14	0.11	1.32**	0.09
informalschool	1.03	0.09	1.55	0.23	1.55*	0.22	0.78	0.14	0.99	0.13
primaryschool	1.11	0.07	1	0.14	1.27	0.13	0.85	0.1	1	0.09
highschool	1.32***	0.07	0.98	0.14	1.26	0.13	0.63***	0.1	0.99	0.09
postsecondary	2.09***	0.09	0.74	0.17	1.32	0.15	0.65***	0.13	1.08	0.11
headhouse	0.99	0.05	1	0.09	0.82**	0.08	0.95	0.07	0.94	0.06
N	14813 (33 countries)		14748 (32 countries)				14244 (33 countries)
Pseudo R^2	0.11		0.24				0.24

Dummies are always in reference to the first level. ***p < 0.001; **p < 0.01; *p < 0.05. See appendix 3 for Likelihood ratio tests.